Major surgical procedures such as open-heart surgery often require long incisions into the body cavity to provide adequate access to the treated organ. After the surgical procedure is complete and the incision closed, the incision site usually is not heavily bandaged or otherwise covered up.
Specifically, bandaging and/or gauze placed on an incision site will absorb the moisture and fluid oozing from the closed incision, thus becoming an ideal medium for growth of bacteria and the like. Bandages and gauze also inhibit air circulation around an incision, a factor which slows the healing process.
Bedding, such as sheets and blankets, touching and/or rubbing against an uncovered incision can cause considerable pain and discomfort to a patient. In fact, in many hospitals the bedding is arranged in a tent-like structure such that it will not touch the incision site.
When the patient leaves the hospital he is advised not to bandage or otherwise cover the incision site because of the risk of secondary infection. Accordingly, the patient must face the nightly ordeal of lying in bed hoping nobody moves the bedding and must gingerly move about when dressed to prevent clothing from rubbing across the incision site.